Amidst the fun and frenzy of the holiday weekend, I learned of the passing of the lyricist Betty Comden. Ms. Comden and her creative partner Adolph Green wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musicals Bells Are Ringing, On the Town, and Wonderful Town. The Comden/Green team worked with several different composers including Leonard Bernstein (On the Town and Wonderful Town), Jule Styne (Bells Are Ringing), and Cy Coleman (On the Twentieth Century and Will Rogers Follies). Their writing efforts were widely recognized and rewarded with Best Musical Tony Awards for Wonderful Town, Hallelujah Baby, Applause, On the Twentieth Century and the Will Rogers Follies. Their accomplished screenplays included the popular Hollywood musicals Band Wagon and Singin' in the Rain.
In her 1995 memoir, Off Stage, Ms. Comden wrote about her life and her esteemed colleagues.
If you feel like singing their songs as you watch the movies or listen to the compact discs, come to the library for the New York Musicals of Comden and Green and the Comden and Green Songbook .
